Your Tia's a Witch

this is a basic and powerful banishment spell to keep a toxic, malicious person from influencing you, affecting your world, and attempting to hurt you. best done during a waning moon. you will need:

> black pepper (banishment, protection from evil)

> cloves (banishing hostile and negative forces)

> vinegar (banishing, binding, and averting evil)

> black and white candle

> paper and pen with black ink

> a jar with a lid

1. as you light your candles, recognize that the flame creates an aura of fire, will and strength. the black candle burns and summons protection from evil; the white candle burns and brings you cleansing and purifying. meditate on the flames and allow their warm auras to surround you.

2. write the person’s full name (if it’s known) on a small piece of paper. hold the paper in your hands and let yourself feel angry, hurt, sad, or whatever this person makes you feel. charge the paper with the pain this person has caused you, until you feel done. then, take your pen and scribble out the person’s name until it’s completely blacked out and opaque.

3. fold the paper up as many times as you can, and throw it in the jar. sprinkle the pepper and cloves over the paper, then fill the jar with vinegar. this mixture banishes their evil from you and drowns out their will and power to harm you. close the jar tightly. if you wish, use some black wax from your candle to drip onto the lid and seal the jar shut.

Oh heckin yes I do My amazon wishlist is literally like six pages long… ALL BOOKS

WARNING: This Is Going To Be Extremely Long!

First though I want to note that while I 100% understand your feelings about the Wicca stuff (being a very NOT Wiccan Witch), not all books that are Wicca leaning are bad! I’ve gotten loads of useful information from books that tended to be a little new agey. That’s where being objective comes in! With ANY book, you should take it with a grain of salt, and some with a whole shaker. But it’s up to you to pay attention to misinformation and conflation, and to know how to do research to prove or disprove that something in a book you read is true or not. Does that make sense?? 

Anywho, a couple of books that are still kind of “Wicca-y” but great:

Grimoire of the Green Witch

The Goodly Spellbook (This one is an INCREDIBLY AWESOME REFERENCE)

The Modern Guide To Witchcraft (Written By Skye Alexander who seems to mass produce books, so need some good fact checking here)

The Modern Witchcraft SpellBook (Written By Skye Alexander who seems to mass produce books, so need some good fact checking here)

The Witches Broom (LOTS OF SALT but good basic history)

The Witches Athame (LOTS OF SALT but good basic history)

The Witches Mirror (LOTS OF SALT but good basic history)

Cottage Witchery (This author is pretty good about keeping away but there’s still some slips)

Practical Protection Magick (This author is pretty good about keeping away but there’s still some slips)

The Big Book of Practical Spells (Written by Judika Illes, who did the Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells; it’s a good book, but there’s too much Cultural appropriation for my taste. Tread Lightly, and bring that shaker I was talking about)

Those are all books from my personal collection that I would recommend! Now as for the Non-Wicca Books, Let’s dive in! Not all of these have I read or owned, and they are in no particular order. You’ll notice most of them relate to “Traditional Witchcraft” or West Country, because that is where my practice is focused. 

The Tradition of Household Spirits: Ancestral Lore and Practices 

The High Magic of Talismans and Amulets: Tradition and Craft

Cornish Charms and Cures

To Fly by Night: An anthology of Hedgewitchery

Treading the Mill: Practical Craft Working in Modern Traditional Witchcraft

Popular Magic: Cunning-folk in English History

The Black Arts: A Concise History of Witchcraft, Demonology, Astrology, and Other Mystical Practices Throughout the Ages

Grimorium Verum

The Devil’s Dozen: Thirteen Craft Rites of the Old One

The Witching Herbs: 13 Essential Plants and Herbs for Your Magical Garden

Defences Against the Witches’ Craft - Anti-cursing Charms from English Folk Magick, Traditional Witchcraft and the Grimoire Traditions

Nummits and Crummits: Devonshire Customs, Characteristics, and Folk-lore

Encyclopedia of Folk Medicine: Old World and New World Traditions

The Art of Black Mirror Scrying

Enchantment: The Witches’ Art of Manipulation by Gesture, Gaze and Glamour

CHILDREN OF CAIN: A Study of Modern Traditional Witchcraft.

The Pillars of Tubal Cain

Witch’s Workbook

The Left Hand: The Cabal Grimoire of Walking in Darkness

Profane Seals: A Compendium of Vile Sigil Magick - Volume I

Eye of the Oracle: The Cabal Grimoire of Psychic Magick

The Book of Smokeless Fire

Azoetia: A Grimoire of the Sabbatic Craft

Between the Living & the Dead: A Perspective on Witches & Seers in the Early Modern Age

The Night Battles: Witchcraft and Agrarian Cults in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

The Horn of Evenwood: A Grimoire of Sorcerous Operations, Charms, and Devices of Witchery

The Cunning Man’s Handbook: The Practice of English Folk Magic, 1550-1900

Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches’ Sabbath

The Book of Oberon: A Sourcebook of Elizabethan Magic

The Grimoire of Arthur Gauntlet (PB)

Witchcraft: A Handbook of Magic Spells and Potions

Cecil Williamsons Book of Witchcraft: A Grimoire of the Museum of Witchcraft

Under the Witching Tree: A Folk Grimoire of Tree Lore and Practicum

Veneficium: Magic, Witchcraft and the Poison Path

Witchcraft For Tomorrow

Pharmako Gnosis: Plant Teachers and the Poison Path

The Witches’ Ointment: The Secret History of Psychedelic Magic

The Visions of Isobel Gowdie

The Taper That Lights The Way: Robert Cochrane’s Letters Revealed) 

The Call of The Horned Piper

A Deed Without a Name

Heritage Witchcraft (This one is kind of useless unless you’re taking his Classes)

Letters from the Devil’s Forest: An Anthology of Writings on Traditional Witchcraft, Spiritual Ecology and Provenance Traditionalism

The Devil’s Plantation: East Anglian Lore, Witchcraft & Folk-Magic

Liber Nox: A Traditional Witch’s Gramarye

Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism

Traditional Witches’ Formulary and Potion-making Guide: Recipes for Magical Oils, Powders and Other Potions

The Black Toad

Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways

PHEW!

That was a lot! Okay anon I hope this gives you a good starting place! 

@icy-pants @lisasimpsonwannabe @ashfirewolf177​ Here you go! Love that you knew an analysis was inevitable upon request. 

Who Is Silver Ravenwolf & Why She’s Awful 

Silver Ravenwolf is a well established author who writes books on witchcraft, specifically from a Wiccan perspective. If you go into your local Barnes & Nobles, used bookstore, or really any local bookstore that has information on witchcraft you will likely find one of her books. She is the introduction to witchcraft for many because her books are readily available but she spreads a lot of misconceptions and misinformation. I am tired of saying “That’s not true, where did you hear that?” which is why I started yelling about her being awful. Some people’s work can be picked apart and some good can be found but I don’t find that to be the case here because of how blatant and diverse the misinformation is. Anyways, without further delay… Here’s some of the things she’s said/done!  Silver Ravenwolf has:

• Used the terms Wicca/Wiccan/Witch interchangeable as if they are all the same  • Stated witches harm none and must believe in the rule of the three • Stated witches cannot be Christian/Satanists/ect • Bashes other religions to make hers seem superior  • Therefore, implied only Wiccans are witches and she is the authority on who is a witch • Encouraged minors to lie/hide things from their parents • Generally seems to spread a lot of definitions/”facts” that are just not true and lacks sourcing severely Furthermore…. I have also seen rumors that she’s done racist stuff like used racial slurs and sold racially insensitive stuff in her shop but I haven’t found any page quotes/screenshots/links or really decent evidence that that’s true. With all of this under her belt, it very well could be. If you guys have links to prove that feel free to drop them and I will add them. Sources I do not own any of her books so I can’t quote by title/page/line but hear me out. These are all things I have seen people who have read her books and have gone through them point out over and over. I also learned about many of these things from these articles:

[The Problem With Silver Ravenwolf] [Tarnished Silver, Why I Don’t Recommend Silver Ravenwolf] [Continueing Anger Over Silver Ravenwolf] [An answered anon on why people don’t like Silver Ravenwolf by @breelandwalker​]

Many of which do quote her directly down to the page.

I got all of these links from this answered ask here. A lot of the links were no longer valid, there might be some further reading there. I just picked the explanations I liked best/referenced the most and linked them above.  Witchcraft & Wicca Being Used Interchangeably… I have had a look at one of her books in a bookstore, and she did absolutely interchangeably use the terms Wicca/Wiccan/Witch and implied you need one to have the other and be a “valid” witch. I have seen that with my own eyes. Even just that alone is a big red flag to me. As mentioned above, it insists you have to be Wiccan to be a witch and it is the only way to practice. It also insists her beliefs are the only way, and states them as fact rather than her beliefs. This is is a misconception/pattern that I am so tired of seeing and correcting.  On Encouraging Minors To Hide Things… I understand the want to practice witchcraft as a minor, I started when I was 15 or so and if I had parents who were unaccepting I probably would have hid it from them too. The thing is though, this isn’t always smart or safe. Encouraging minors to do this as an adult and “well established” author is ridiculous and not a good look at all in my opinion. 

Silver Ravenwolf sucks. If you’re new, read something else. Actually anyone please read something else. 

Listen. I miss baths too. But we have places to be and are in tiny apartments and we don’t have time to be soaking in a pool of herbs and then immediately scrubbing the leaves out of the tub.

You will need:

A pot

Your herbs (food/cosmetic grade)

Liquid Castille soap (unscented Dr. Bronner’s, okay?)

Empty squeeze bottle (I’ve even used one of those $2 condiment bottles from wegmans)

Quartz, if you’re one of those “I have to charge it!” witches

Boil them herbs. Boil ‘em ‘til they’re soft and colorless. Get all that power out of them. Strain the water clear of plant material and set aside.

Wait for it to cool to a temperature that won’t warp or melt your plastic bottle and then fill said bottle about two thirds way. Drop that quartz in there now if you’re going to do that.

Remove quartz before you pour in the Castille soap. But that’s what you’re doing; dumping in Castille soap the rest of the way. It’s meant to be diluted and we’re taking advantage of the high concentration of soap.

Gently mix.

In the shower, squeeze onto a wash cloth and lather as much as you want in your hair and all over your body.

Bam. Can be adapted to almost any bath spell and doesn’t result in a moldy sachet or leaves in the drain.

“I Am Hired”

Do you live with mormons

Do you live with mormons while you're trans

Do you live with mormons while you're trans while you practice witchcraft

If you answered yes to at least one of these three questions, oh boy do I have the spell for you. I call it the Just Shut Your Sour Ass Up spell. It works great. Spite fuels this spell. Make sure you're spiteful. Are you spiteful yet? No? Think of that one particular uncle who drives the god damn truck and wears the red hat. You know the one. Mad? Yeah? Good.

You'll need:

A lemon

Sea salt

Water

Needle and strong thread (preferably black)

Scrap of paper

Red pen/pencil (bonus spite points if you use a bible pencil)

Spite.

More spite.

Bigot family: optional.

Instructions:

Go grab a lemon.

Put some salt in a bowl. Or a cup. Whatever.

Add moon water. Actually, tap water, as they don't deserve your moon water.

Scrub the lemon with your salty paste. Yes, your cuticles will hate you. Just put some lotion on after washing your hands. Seriously. You'll want to.

Take the meanest knife you own (you know the one) and give that lemon a big fucking stab wound. Just one, so make it ANGRY. Think about how fucking DONE you are will all this bullshit. Oh my god. Fuck this. HHHUUUUUGGGHH. I hate this shit so much just leave me the hell a l o n e. Put knife away.

Grab your paper and red writing utensil. Write "Insert name; shut your sour fucking mouth."

Fold up paper

Shove paper into lemon with as much spite and anger as you can muster after that stabbing.

Stitch shut.

Chuck it in a drawer or something idfc just put it somewhere they won't get it.

Go cool off because jesus fucking christ you're pissed.

And now they'll shut the fuck up and leave you alone about your identities. Whoop de doo. Avoid them like the plague at thanksgiving dinner you're forced to attend and try not to throw salt in their cake slice.

Good luck

this is what modern day witchcraft looks like

sharing private moments for my own healing and wandering eyes

me doing some spellcrafting and writing on beaver moon // documenting ritual for upcoming personal art project